


ces mots simples: Ladynoir July

by rosebud1000



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Angst, Drabble Collection, F/M, Fluff, LadyNoir - Freeform, Ladynoir July, sometimes, still mostly fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-01
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 31
Words: 8,671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25016227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosebud1000/pseuds/rosebud1000
Summary: 31 short Ladynoir drabbles following the prompts. A range of pre/post reveal/relationship and aged-up.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Comments: 12
Kudos: 77





	1. Ce Mur Qui Nous Separe

**Author's Note:**

> So... this may be a bad idea. I decided to do this two days ago, and I'm going camping next week. I'll try to get these all published by the end of July, though. The title is the same as a song by Vanessa Paradis. It's French, but check it out (and the English translation).
> 
> In this chapter, I decided that since the singer who wrote/sang Miraculous (the theme song) IRL is Lou, who was Clara Nightingale in the show, also wrote Ce Mur Qui Nous Sépare, it could exist in the MLB universe. (pre-reveal, pre-dating)

Sometimes when Ladybug showed up for patrol, Chat would already be there, blasting some kind of music from his baton. Today, she heard the music before she saw him, immediately recognizing the song as the one she’d had on repeat since it came out two days ago. Clara Nightingale's songs always demanded to be replayed.

“Hello, Chat.”

“Ladybug! Have you heard this song yet?”

“I don’t live under a rock, of course I have.”

“Aw. I was kinda hoping I’d get to introduce it to you. It reminds me of us.”

“Does it?” Honestly, Marinette had started to associate it with Adrien--the first part, at least.

Chat just nodded to his staff, drawing her attention to the next lyrics.

_ “Bas les masques pour un soir, brisons de part en part ce mur qui nous sépare.” _

“Huh. I guess it kind of does.”

Chat stepped closer to her, tucking a stray piece of hair behind her ear, his fingers grazing the edge of her mask.  _ “Baissons les masques, ma lady.” _

Marinette ducked away, staring resolutely at the Eiffel Tower. “Not today, minou.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation for the French: from the song, "Put down the masks for one evening, tear apart piece by piece this wall that separates us," and from Chat, "Let's lower the masks, my lady."


	2. Stargazing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still pre-reveal, pre-dating. Enjoy!

“What are you doing, Chat?” Ladybug asked.

Adrien turned to her, grinning. “Stargazing.”

“It’s the middle of the day.”

“And yet you’re still the brightest star in the sky.”

Ladybug smiled. “I think we normally call that the sun.”

“Same difference.” Adrien sat back down, letting his legs dangle over the edge of the roof. Ladybug sat next to him. More and more often, Adrien found himself escaping the mansion by transforming, and every time, Ladybug joined him.

Sometimes she would ask if he was okay; if he wanted to talk. Other times, like today, she stayed quiet, as if she knew her presence alone was enough. It was one of the reasons he loved her so much. She was his best friend, and she made sure she was always there for him. She cared about him, probably more than anyone else he knew.

Ladybug sighed, her shoulders falling as she relaxed. “So, stargazing?”

“Look.” Adrien pointed a claw down to the street. A mural had been drawn in chalk, painting the pavement as a galaxy below them.

“Wow,” she said.

“Yeah,” Adrien said, even though his gaze was fixed on Ladybug, not the artwork. “Wow.”


	3. In Denial

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-reveal, pre-relationship still

Marinette had exactly one thing that could identify her as Ladybug that she kept with her. It was taped to the inside of the front cover on her planner, and she was always careful not to let anyone see it.

When she’d first printed it--which was much harder than she’d expected, apparently printers don’t like magical yoyos--Tikki had teased her mercilessly. It wasn’t “be careful with your identity.” Of course not. It was “you put a picture of Chat Noir in your notebook, you liiiiiike him.”

Which was untrue. Obviously. It was just a picture of her and her best friend, a selfie taken about a month ago, both of them laughing.

So what if just  _ knowing  _ the photo was there made her smile. So what if maybe sometimes she’d flip open the cover to catch a glimpse of Chat’s face. So what if sometimes she couldn’t tell if it was adrenaline from the fight or his nicknames that made her heart race. It meant nothing.


	4. Disguises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-reveal, dating, aged up early university

“You look ridiculous.”

“ _Utterly_ ridiculous,” Chat corrected, smoothing the lapels of his jacket.

Marinette rolled her eyes, shrugging on the coat Adrien had brought for her. “Y’know, we could just go on this date as civilians.”

“But that defeats the purpose.”

“What purpose?”

“Getting to hang out as superheroes.”

Marinette’s finger slipped, the button she was doing failing to make it through the buttonhole. Right. She took a deep breath.

“Hey.” Adrien reached out, a hand on her shoulder. “It’s gonna be okay.”

“I know.” Marinette got the button in and moved on to the next one.

“I’m gonna call you every night, and text you constantly--I’ll send you pictures of everything that reminds me of you, which is going to be everything, because you’re the most amazing person I’ve met, and--”

“I know,” Marinette repeated. “Can we just go now? I haven’t been to this cafe in such a long time.”

Adrien took her hint, dropping his hand and offering it to hold instead. She clasped their hands together, claws pressing gently into her palm. She looked up at him, failing to suppress a snort of laughter. He really did look ridiculous, a beanie covering up his ears, sunglasses over his mask, a large coat to hide his costume, and of course, a bright blue scarf.

Ladybug did up the last button, pulling the jacket’s hood to cover her pigtails. Tonight, Marinette and Adrien were going on their not-last date (as he had taken to calling it). Tomorrow, they were waking up early and going to the train station, sending Adrien off to Nice for a semester.

But right now, they were Ladybug and Chat Noir, and he was being ridiculous and lovable as always, and they were dressed up to go get coffee in the hopes that people wouldn’t recognize them, or would be polite enough to not say anything if they did.

Marinette squeezed his hand. They were Ladybug and Chat Noir. They were going to be okay.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sucker for the Adrien moves away trope... what can I say, he seems like a Nice guy.


	5. Banter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: Alright, this is going to have to be the last chapter for a few days. I’ll be back soon with double updates, hopefully to catch back up to the prompts. For now, enjoy some pre-reveal, pre-dating banter.

“Ladybug, wait!”

Normally, Marinette wouldn’t wait, not when she had such little time left on her transformation. But Chat hardly ever called her Ladybug, so she thought it might be serious.

“What?” she asked, following him away from the cameras.

“You, uh, you seemed pretty upset with that akuma.”

“Yeah, I’ve had a stressful week,” she admitted.

“And, especially when it called you Bugaboo.”

So that was what this was about. Marinette shrugged, hoping Chat wouldn’t press further.

“Look, if you don’t want me to… I just thought it was kind of our dynamic, y’know?”

“Chaton. It’s fine. I like our banter.”

“Okay, but that’s… Do the nicknames bother you?”

He was going to make her say it, wasn’t he? “I got mad at the akuma because you’retheonlyoneallowedtocallmethat.”

“What?”

Marinette sighed, certain her face couldn’t turn a red deeper than it already was. “You’re the only one allowed to call me that.”

“Oh.”

Marinette’s earring beeped, reminding her to hurry along (not that she needed any encouragement). She gave Chat, who was stunned in place, a hasty wave before flying away to detransform.


	6. Rose

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look! Internet connection! This prompt got away from me a bit, but it's one of my favorites so far... enjoy!

“What’s all this?” Marinette asked, stepping out onto the rooftop. The note he’d left asking her to transform and meet him hadn’t so much as hinted to what he was up to.

“A surprise,” Chat said, setting a vase of lilies on the cafe table he’d brought up.

“Is it, now?”

Adrien’s hand rested against her mask, turning her face so he could kiss her cheek. “The loveliest surprise for my loveliest lady.”

“Really?” Marinette hummed, stepping away from him to inspect the set-up. “I think I’ll be the one to judge that.”

Adrien followed her as she ran her gloved hands along the table.

“Lilies… always nice. My favorite wine… a gateau au chocolat… and…” she paused, picking up two pairs of glasses. “And what are these?”

Adrien plucked them from her hands, leaning over to unlock the phone he’d left on the table. “The most brilliant idea I’ve ever had.”

He handed her a pair back, placing the other over his own mask. The glasses balanced precariously over the black material, Marinette laughing at his absurdity.

“Put them on,” he instructed, fiddling with his phone.

Marinette did, and the world changed. Well, not really. In the dark, she hadn’t been able to see that the glasses were tinted. Now, everything took on a warmer hue, Marinette realizing just what the color was at the same moment Adrien finally found the play button.

“ _La vie en rose,_ ” she whispered. “Of course.”

Adrien took her hand, drawing her close and placing his other at her waist.

“You’re so cheesy, you know.”

“Only for you, Bugaboo.”

 _Quand il me prend dans ses bras_   
_Il me parle tout bas_ _  
_ Je vois la vie en rose

“Happy anniversary, Mari,” Adrien said, turning her in slow circles.

She lifted her head from his shoulder, letting their lips touch. “Happy anniversary.”


	7. Interviews

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-reveal

Adrien could feel the rage radiating off Ladybug as they both sat peacefully in interview chairs. He didn’t know what was causing it, but was having trouble finding a way to intervene, in the middle of an interview as they were.

“It sounds like you really enjoy being a superhero, then,” Monique, their interviewer, said, leaning closer to Adrien.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, keeping an eye on Ladybug. Seriously. What was she so mad about?

“Alright, so the next question I have here--” Monique reached over, her hand touching Chat’s shoulder.

And that’s when Ladybug burst. “Actually, I have a question to suggest. It’s ‘How old are you?’ and the answer for both of us is teenagers! So, if you don’t mind, I’m cutting this interview short, and don’t even think about asking for a re-do!”

Being dragged off the set by Ladybug, the camera crew watching them, Adrien had to admit he was confused. It wasn’t until they were a block from the studio that Ladybug stopped, pulling Adrien into an alley.

“Okay, what just happened?” he asked.

“What just happened? Are you kidding me?”

Adrien shook his head, realizing that she was still angry, hopefully not at him.

“She was flirting with you, Chat!”

“Oh.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

Adrien blinked. “...Are you jealous?”

“No!” Ladybug snapped, then sighed. “Sorry. But I couldn’t stand that. I mean, you’re a literal child, and she’s a thirty-something reporter. She shouldn’t be flirting with you, or trying to touch you, or… anything, really.”

“Ah. Well…”

“What?”

Adrien paused. Ladybug  _ really _ wouldn’t like what he was about to say. But growing up in the fashion industry, modeling nearly every day… “I guess I’m kind of… used to it?”

Ladybug was strangely silent for a moment, then set her brow in determination. “That’s it. I’m kidnapping you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one gets a sequel...


	8. Kwami Swap

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> more pre-reveal

“What the hell were you thinking?” Misterbug yelled, blatantly ignoring Marinette’s offer of a fistbump as the magical ladybugs whizzed past.

“What do you mean?” she asked, brushing the dust of her green-and-black suit. Gah. She still wasn’t used to the costume change that accompanied the kwami swap, but knowing each other’s powers was necessary.

“You took a hit for me!”

“Well, duh.”

“You can’t just do that.”

“You take hits for me all the time,” Marinette pointed out. “It comes with the power set.”

“I hate it. I want to swap back.”

“We can’t. And you need to get used to this, it’s only the start of the week.”

“My lady, I --”

“Stop!” she shouted, not sure where her anger came from but also not doing anything to stop it. “Stop making such a big deal about this! I know, okay? I know you don’t like this, because I don’t like that this is what you normally do! We’re swapping for a week, so you’re going to suck it up and deal with it like I’ve been for the past two years, okay!?”

“...okay,” Chat said. “I didn’t know you cared so much about me taking hits.”

“Of course I do!” Marinette glanced down, finding the staff she’d dropped when she’d been hit. She picked it up, tucking it behind her back. “...I love you, you stupid cat.”


	9. Fist Bump

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Set after Origins: Part 1, with a soulmate au

Electricity. That’s what everyone always compared it to. A jolt of  _ something _ when you touched your soulmate. Something telling you,  _ yes, this one is right for me. _

And it was undeniable. She hadn’t been paying enough attention during the fight--the whole ‘there’s a giant stone monster and I am now a superhero’ thing was distracting. But at the end, after the akumatized object had been broken, she had offered her partner a fist bump. It lit up her entire hand, buzzing even through their supersuits, both their eyes widening at the realization.

Now, back in her room, Marinette collapsed onto her chaise. Finding her soulmate was the icing on the cake of a very weird day. Still, she allowed herself a smile. A soulmate.

Her eye caught on the red creature floating near her desk, her smile fading. Her  _ superhero  _ soulmate. She couldn’t tell him who she was. He couldn’t tell her who he was.

How awful would it be, then, to fight with him like that, knowing they were soulmates? To have found him, but not quite? To know him and spend time with him and fall in love with him and never know his name?

Marinette sat up, wiping at tears that hadn’t yet fallen. Marinette would be heartbroken over this. She would cry, and miss him, and always wonder  _ what if. _ But Ladybug? She wouldn’t care at all.


	10. Breakdown

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sequel to prompt 8, Kwami Swap.

Marinette sighed, twisting the ring on her finger. Plagg hovered next to her, her back to the chimney they’d picked as a meeting place.  _ I love you, you stupid cat. _ Her own words had been haunting her since the beginning of the week, and Chat’s reaction. Surprise. Her kitty was surprised that she loved him. She’d thought it was obvious--they were best friends, they protected each other’s lives constantly. And yet, he was surprised. She wondered if he was just the type of person who needed to hear things in order to understand them, but she had a sense it was bigger than that.

Plagg had adapted quickly to her particular brand of freaking out over everything, and the past week had consisted of him rolling his eyes, explaining the situation to her in a much less dramatic way than she was addressing it, and asking for more cheese. It was an efficient system, but had yet to provide an answer to this predicament.

On the other side of the chimney, Chat was mumbling to Tikki, neither of them quite ready to swap back.

“Hey, Chat?” Marinette asked.

“Yeah?”

“People don’t tell you they love you very often, do they?”

At first, she thought his silence was just that--silence. But even without Lady Noire’s enhanced hearing, it didn’t take long for his uneven breathing to find her ears.

“Chat?” she said, unsure of what to do.

His only response was a sob, choked and broken off. And Marinette stopped caring about anything other than him. Screw secret identities; her kitty was hurt and no way was she standing by.

“Chaton…” Her gaze found the boy curled against the other side of the chimney. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she recognized him, but that was pushed aside in favor of wrapping her arms around him.

His chest shook, even as Marinette tightened her hug. “I love you,” she whispered, her lips brushing against his jacket. “I love you.”

He pulled away, just long enough to free his arms from her, returning the hug. “Marinette?”

She lifted her head from where she’d let it rest on his shoulder. “I love you, Adrien.”


	11. Comfort

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-reveal, dating, aged up to university(ish)

Marinette slipped into the apartment, drawing the shutters closed behind her. It was one of the reasons they had ended up choosing this place--there was an easy way to get in and out transformed. (Yes, Adrien called it the cat door. No, Marinette did not condone that.)

Sometime in the two years since the reveal, they’d started trading off who stayed behind to answer reporters’ questions. Tonight, Adrien had been off the second their fists touched. It was already much later than he liked to stay up, and he had a test tomorrow morning.

Marinette stumbled across the room, still not used to the new layout. Tonight was officially the first night they were spending here--the first night in  _ their _ apartment. And so, of course, there was an akuma.

The bedroom was empty. The nice, new mattress they’d spent two hours setting up this morning bore no signs of Adrien’s presence.

Just what she wanted. A two-in-the-morning cat hunt for her boyfriend in a dark apartment (she didn’t dare turn on the lights, that would surely wake him). In the living room, she could make out the square shape of the box the mattress had been in. The box she’d been about to break down into a flat piece before the akuma struck.

She paused, her hand resting on the edge of the box. He wasn’t  _ that _ much of a cat, was he?

Still, she peered inside and…

“Silly kitty,” she whispered, shaking her head at her boyfriend, still transformed, asleep in a box.

Even so, she couldn’t bring herself to wake him. So instead, she climbed into the box and curled herself around him. It was a shame to miss the new mattress and bedding, but summer was fast approaching, and Marinette doubted she’d be sleeping under a blanket anyway--especially with the human furnace known as Adrien Agreste.

And, okay, it wasn’t the  _ most _ comfortable, but she’d argue that the corrugation beneath her was doing something. Adrien mumbled something, his hand reaching up to find her arm and pulling her in.

“I love you,” she whispered, bringing a hand up to mess with the ends of his hair.

The next fall of Adrien’s chest brought with it a low rumble. Marinette smiled, pressing her forehead to his shoulder as the purr grew louder. She really had fallen in love with a cat, hadn’t she?


	12. Falling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-reveal, pre-relationship

Marinette was falling. Falling like a feather on the wind, like the orange leaves that fluttered around her. Falling in love with Chat. And, at the moment, falling off the Montparnasse Tower.

“Ladybug!” Chat’s voice snapped her into action, her yoyo hooking around the railing of the observation deck.

She swung there, suspended halfway down the tower, Chat hurrying down to make sure she was okay. At last, her movements brought her close enough to grab onto a window frame. She pulled herself to the side of the building, ready to climb up.

“My lady,” Chat gasped, his hand extended to her. Even though she didn’t need his help, she took it, using him to balance instead of her yoyo.

Once she had a better grip on the string, she let it shorten, bringing them both up to the top of the tower. She returned the yoyo to her hand, Chat letting go of her.

“Thank you,” she said, “for catching me.”

“When don’t I?” he said. “Let’s go.” He gestured in the direction of the akuma, large spikes sticking up through the hole in the roof.

Marinette took a last, steadying breath before heading back into battle. Next to her, Chat’s eyes glinted green in the afternoon sun. Yeah. She was falling, alright.


	13. Cuddles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The sequel to Interviews

When Ladybug told him to meet her on a roof on a Saturday evening in the middle of summer, Adrien wasn’t sure what he was expecting. It wasn’t a patrol; it fell out of their usual schedule, and she hadn’t explicitly said so. He wouldn’t be surprised if she’d brought food and wanted to hang out, maybe brought a tablet with a movie to watch, or something equally casual and not out of their ‘superhero best friends’ realm.

Instead, what he found was Ladybug… with snacks, yes, but also copious amounts of bedding.

“Uh…” he paused, staring at the array. “What are you doing?”

“Kidnapping you.” Ladybug’s smile was too innocent for her apparent criminal intentions. “You didn’t think I was joking, did you?”

“I mean, it’s pretty hard for you to kidnap me without knowing where I live.”

“I can plan around that,” she said, flopping down onto the pile of blankets. “We’re spending the night here. It’s a temporary kidnapping, but it’s the best I’ve got.”

Adrien sat down beside her, grinning. “Remind me again  _ why _ you’re kidnapping me?”

Ladybug sighed. “You transform frequently to escape your house; from what you’ve said, your dad is a jerk; you’re used to older women flirting with you; and your nightmare from Sandboy was being trapped in a cage by said jerk of a father.”

Right. The interview last week hadn’t even rivaled how angry Ladybug was when he’d told her about Sandboy.

“Thanks for kidnapping me, I guess.” Adrien laid back, not even feeling the concrete through the layers of blankets she’d spread.

Ladybug moved over, resting her head on his chest. “Any time, minou.”

“You’re the best,” he told her.

When several moments passed without a response, Adrien craned his neck awkwardly to see her face. Her eyes were shut, her lips parted as she slept. He smiled. It looked like Ladybug needed a night away as much as he did.

Chat’s hand reached out, tucking under shoulders, his claws catching on her hair for the briefest of moments. Ladybug shifted, turning to curl into him. She left him with no other choice but to tighten his grip, pulling her closer.

Times like these made him feel uncertain. When they toed the line between platonic and romantic--not that Adrien knew where that line was. If he thought about it, he would wonder. His heart would start to race, his breath would hitch in a way Ladybug didn’t want to hear, and he’d want so badly to feel her lips on his. 

So he didn’t think. He tucked himself closer to her, sharing his warmth, and was content to enjoy whatever moments they had together.


	14. Chat Blanc

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was trying to find a way to write this prompt and not make it angsty... and then I listened to the Hawkmoth song. Have some crack.

In theory, Gabriel should’ve been able to akumatize Chat Noir by now. He was in love with Ladybug, as much as any teenager could be. And she’d rejected him. Multiple times. Not only that, but he wandered the city frequently, looking upset. But not once, _ not once, _ had he actually sensed negative emotions from the superhero.

Ladybug rejected him? She was still his best friend, so he was happy about that.

He was out and about, the face of teen angst? Ladybug was never far behind, cheering him up.  _ And she said she wasn’t in love with him. _

Honestly, he wasn’t sure what was more frustrating: Chat’s eternal optimism, or the fact that both of them were blind to how deeply they were in love.

Look, he just wanted their miraculous, not to ruin their lives, okay? He was allowed to agree with what seemed to be the rest of Paris that they should be dating. And no, he didn’t think the theories about them secretly being together were right. Ladybug, for all her admittedly good fighting techniques, had zero chill.

He didn’t typically plan akumas. It was mostly based on what the person was upset about--and the more preconceived notions they had around supervillains, or how their problems should be solved, the less work for him. He especially liked anytime he could simply drop an existing myth or fairytale onto someone.

But sometimes he just wanted to create an akuma that would make them see how in love they were.

Or akumatize Chat Noir. Not only would it be very helpful for him, but it would likely shake Ladybug up enough for her to realize her feelings.

Gabriel stood up, putting his pencil on top of sketches for this year’s winter line. He fiddled with his phone for a moment, before setting an alarm for two in the morning. Certainly, someone would be awake and upset at that time. (And soon after, so would Ladybug and Chat Noir). 


	15. In Sync

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a great day to be back in sync with the prompts. Pre-reveal, dating, aged up to end of lycee/highschool.

Marinette sighed, pressing her face into her palms. She really shouldn’t cry over this. She’d known it’d be pointless. She’d known--

“Bug?”

She looked up to find Chat Noir, who had of course seen her and known something was wrong. Not that she could tell him  _ what _ was wrong.

“Is everything okay?”

She opened her mouth to respond, but instead felt tears falling onto her mask.

“Oh, Bug…” he said, sitting beside her. His hand reached up to trace circles on her back and he let her lean into his side. “Can you tell me about it? Vague details?”

Vague details.  _ Tell me only what you can, because our identities must remain safe. _

Marinette swallowed her tears, lifting her head from where she’d settled on her boyfriend’s shoulder. “There’s this internship--it could replace a university degree on my resume… I shouldn’t have even applied, it was--”

“Those people must be idiots, then. You’re--”

“I got accepted.” That was the worst part about it. “It’s in Italy.”

Chat was silent for a long moment, before standing and offering her his hand.

She took it and he pulled her to her feet. He led her to the center of the roof, clasping their joined hands and bringing his other to her waist.

“There’s no music,” she said, taking her place all the same.

“That’s part of the fun.” Chat took a step forward, counting a waltz under his breath.

Marinette followed, and though she’d normally trip over her own feet dancing, the miraculous magic seemed to be on her side for this one. As they settled into the rhythm of the dance, footsteps in sync, Chat’s counting faded.

“You can take it, you know,” he said. “You can find someone else to be Ladybug.”

“No. I’m glad that I’m Ladybug.” Marinette overstepped her next move, bringing herself closer to him. “And besides, I don’t want to leave you.”

Chat smiled, bending his neck to kiss her forehead. “I don’t want you to leave me, either.”


	16. First Kiss

“Can you be my first kiss?”

Chat froze. “What?”

Marinette sighed, resuming the pacing she’d stopped when he’d shown up. “There’s this guy who, well, I don’t really know what we are, and… we kissed.” She watched Chat carefully for a reaction, but he gave none, so she continued. “And he asked if he was my first kiss, and I said he wasn’t. So I need to count Dark Cupid or Oblivio or… or something.”

“Ladybug…”

“I know, this is weird, but I--”

“So, this guy?”

Marinette nodded.

“He kissed you, you might be dating… and you lied because you didn’t want him to be your first kiss?”

Marinette nodded again.

“If you didn’t want him to be your first kiss, why did you kiss him at all?”

“I don’t know! And then he just-- he just asked, like it was no big deal, and I panicked and told him no!”

“Bugaboo.”

She paused, letting Chat step towards her.

“I know I’m not an unbiased opinion, but it sounds like maybe you shouldn’t be dating this guy.”

“Yeah…”

Chat held out his arms in the offer of a hug which she took gladly, her forehead resting in the crook of his shoulder. She was more than happy to stay like that, all the worries about Luka and their awkward relationship fading.

When she finally lifted her head, she found her face centimeters from Chat’s, their noses almost touching. Anyone else could’ve thought they were about to kiss, and Marinette surprised herself by laughing.

Chat laughed too, amused by her reaction to their position. Carefully, he unwrapped his arms and stepped back.

“I can be your first kiss,” he said. “On one condition.”

“What?” Marinette asked.

Chat grabbed her hand. “You can be mine.”

“Of course I can.”

He pressed a kiss to her knuckles, smiling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...hehe


	17. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one I really enjoyed writing! Post-reveal, established relationship, aged up...

Marinette, from her precarious position on top of the Eiffel Tower, swore. It was perhaps not best form for a hero, but what had just happened wasn’t either.

As Ladybug, she rarely found herself actually clumsy. Not graceful, but with a considerable amount of control over her body. She had her moments, of course--a full-body slam into Adrien last week instead of picking him up so he could transform and join the fight being one--but  _ now _ was really not the time.

“Hey,” Chat said, his hand finding her shoulder.

Marinette didn’t respond, worrying about how she could possibly cover up this massive mistake--or fix it before he noticed.

“I’m sorry about earlier. Still. I didn’t mean to put so much pressure on everything and make you so stressed.”

“It’s fine, minou. Things like this are bound to be stressful. And this date was wonderful, really.”

“Good.” Adrien pulled his arm around her waist, bringing them closer. “I think we both needed a break from wedding planning.”

“Yeah.”

He brought his other hand around, finding hers to bring to his lips like he always did. For the first time in years, Marinette pulled her hand away, even twisting around to boop his nose.

Adrien laughed, bemused, as Marinette placed her hands on his shoulders. He didn’t say anything, though, which she took to mean that he hadn’t noticed what was missing from her finger. She leaned up for a kiss, feeling him melt into her touch.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too.” Adrien stepped back, smirking. “Now, we have a ring to find, don’t we?”

“What?” Marinette said, panic rising in her voice.

“I saw you drop it.”

Marinette groaned, hiding her face in her hands. Leave it to Adrien to be the sweetest, most understanding fiance possible when she  _ dropped her engagement ring off the Eiffel Tower. _

Adrien laughed, hugging her and pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I love you.”


	18. Close Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post reveal, dating, maybe aged up a bit?

Adrien’s timer was running out. Marinette had managed to get away from the reporters, but he was having more difficulty.

_ Three minutes left. _

“Chat Noir, what do you think of the way Ladybug used her Lucky Charm?”

He was almost literally cornered, his back to a storefront, cameras at every angle. Kwami, he needed to get out. He glanced around, stuttering out answers in hopes that would convince them to leave.

“Genius as always. My lady truly is spectacular.”

_ Two minutes left. _

If he could dart out of the crowd, he was fairly certain there was an alley across the street lacking security cameras. From there, it’d be a short walk to the bakery, where he’d been going to meet Marinette before the akuma struck.

“Chat Noir!”

“Do you--”

If only there was an opening…

_ One minute left. _

Ladybug’s yoyo shot down from above, the string wrapping around him and pinning his arms to his sides. He was pulled up into the air, the camera flashing growing to catch the display.

Well. That was one way to get out.

He fell onto the roof, Marinette pulling him up and dragging him to a hiding place behind a chimney stack.

“You got yourself boxed in back there, didn’t you, kitty?”

Adrien nodded, wondering if his girlfriend knew how much the glint in her eyes was making his heart race. “It’s a good thing I have you to save me, then.”

Marinette blushed, but it didn’t stop her hand from settling on his collar and bringing him closer.

“My hero,” he whispered, which was just enough to make her pause for a moment. Their lips met at the same time the flash of light enveloped him, and as often as he found himself kissing Ladybug, something about it never failed to surprise him.


	19. Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-reveal, aged up, married, this one's not my favorite, but oh well.

Marinette couldn’t feel the rain hitting her suit. It dripped off the material harmlessly, only touching her where it landed on her head. She smiled, holding out a hand to catch the drops. She’d fallen in love with Adrien in the rain, she’d fallen in love with Chat in the rain--and hell if she wasn’t falling in love again.

Adrien’s hand covered hers, their fingers weaving together, the tips of his claws at her knuckles. It was amazing, really. Even after the reveal, he’d never stopped taking up a two-person piece of her heart. 

He pulled her hand up, touching a kiss to the inside of her wrist. “Are you going to tell me what this is about?”

Marinette sighed, leaning back into the park bench. “You don’t even have a clue?”

“Bug…” Adrien’s hand tightened around hers, his gaze darting to her stomach for the briefest of moments.

She looked up, pressing her lips to his. “I’m pregnant.”


	20. Deja Vu

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pre-reveal, pre-relationship yet again

Adrien really should’ve known better. But, well, curiosity killed the cat. And he was very, very dead.

“It feels so weird,” Ladybug said, twirling a finger through her hair, which was not in its pigtails. Because Chat Noir had jokingly asked if she could take them out, and Ladybug being Ladybug, had immediately put that to the test.

“Yeah,” he said, willing his voice not to crack. “Weird.” 

It was weird. Weird how the ends of her hair brushed her collar bone, weird how it fell perfectly around her face, weird how Adrien could feel a blush rising to his cheeks.

Ladybug laughed, spinning in the night air, her hair falling around her shoulders.

“You look beautiful.”

She stopped spinning, putting up a hand to tuck her hair behind her ear. As she did, she took a slow step toward Adrien, whose head was spinning as much as she’d been seconds earlier. He hadn’t meant to say that, but he couldn’t regret it now. She was beautiful, and if he could, he’d never look away.

Ladybug was close enough for him to see her breath fogging in the cold air. Her hair was behind her ear on one side, still hanging in her face on the other. She didn’t move when Adrien lifted his hand. She didn’t move when his fingers curled around the stray hair and tucked it carefully behind her ear.

She smiled, a blush rising on her cheeks to rival his. “Maybe I’m glad, that you think I’m beautiful.”


	21. Reveal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> probably not aged up, relationship? you decide...

Marinette was curled into herself, knees at her chin and hands clasped at her ankles. Even though her chest shook with sobs, she was silent.

“Bugaboo?” Chat asked, standing at the other end of the alley. Kwami, why? What had happened to them, to make this hurt her so much? “Marinette…”

“No,” she choked out, her voice muffled.

“Okay,” he said. So he wouldn’t be using her name, he… he could do this. “I’m-- I’m so, so sorry, Ladybug, I…” He stepped closer to her, his arms at his sides. “I want to make this right.”

Marinette didn’t say anything, still didn’t look up.

He spoke slowly, deliberately, giving her time to stop him if she wanted to. “Plagg, claws in.”

“You’re not supposed to know,” she finally said, as Adrien sat down across from her. She still didn’t look at him.

“We’re a team, my lady. We’ll be okay.”

He wasn’t sure when she’d actually look at him--he wasn’t sure  _ if _ she would. But Adrien was more than willing to sit and wait.


	22. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-reveal and relationship

Something was wrong with Chat. Well, not  _ wrong _ with him. But distracting him. He didn’t hear a word Marinette had said all night, and at one point launched himself into a tree. Eventually, they landed in a park, a common place to end their patrols, but Marinette stopped him from leaving.

“What’s the matter?”

“What?”

“Something’s bothering you. What is it?”

“You don’t want to hear about it.”

“I’m asking, aren’t I?”

Chat sighed. “Well… there’s this girl.”

“A girl?” Marinette perked up.

“No, she’s-- we’re friends, I think. That’s kinda the problem. She acts weird around me. And I don’t know if she wants to be friends or if she’s just being polite.”

“How does she act weird?”

“How?” Chat looked confused. He really was oblivious. It was kind of adorable.

“Yeah, like, does she avoid you? Or just not talk to you? Or, talks to you, but gets really nervous about it and tries to end the conversation? And what about her friends? Do they avoid you?”

“Um, she seems nervous, I guess. And sometimes avoids me, but also… not?”

Marinette started laughing. Yeah. So oblivious.

“What?” he demanded. “What’s so funny?”

“Chat. She has a crush on you.”

“No! She… oh. Oh. You’re right.” The realization dawned on him and he sat down in the grass, staring at a streetlight.

“Of course I am.” Marinette sat next to him. “So, what’re you gonna do about it?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Mari becomes her own wingman for a solid two weeks before figuring it out)


	23. Chin Scratches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dating, post-reveal

“Aww, he’s so cute!” Marinette cooed, bending down to pet the kitten’s head. She’d had the feeling of being followed all patrol, and had finally managed to catch the culprit--a sweet kitten flecked with black and grey.

He leapt up onto her bent knee, claws catching on her suit but not hurting her. Marinette laughed as he stretched his neck to sniff her face, nudging the edge of her mask. Somehow, she could feel his soft fur through her suit, her fingers curling around his ears and soon eliciting a purr.

“Oh, you’re just the most adorable kitten, aren’t you?”

“Alright, alright, we get it,” Adrien huffed, his arms crossed over his chest.

Marinette looked back at her boyfriend, still petting the cat. “Are you… jealous?”

“What? I-- No, I’m not jealous of that…  _ cat _ .”

“Oh, really?” she asked, letting him jump off her knee as she stood. “So you wouldn’t at all want me to give you chin scratches?”

“No!” Adrien said, batting away the hand she’d stretched out. “Not at all.”

“I don’t believe you.” Marinette rested her hand on his shoulder. Watching him carefully, she started rubbing her thumb in circles. She let her hand gravitate up, her fingers brushing past his suit’s collar and up to his chin.

As soon as he started to purr, Adrien leapt away. “That is  _ so _ not the point.”

“But, it is.” Marinette stepped closer, her hand hovering centimeters from his skin.

“Mrowww.”

They both looked down to see the kitten rubbing his head against Ladybug’s ankle, looking up at her mournfully.

“ _ He’s _ jealous,” Adrien observed.

Marinette smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to Adrien’s cheek. “Let him be.”


	24. Post-Reveal Pre-Relationship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I write this one lot anyway? Well, I chose more on the fluffy side of this prompt... and tomorrow's can be a sequel.

Adrien watched Marinette as she completed their set-up: blankets thrown onto the roof, pastries in front of them, and her iPad at the center, with tonight’s movie pulled up. Technically, they could be doing their movie night as civilians, but they’d had this planned before the reveal, and there were some superhero things neither of them wanted to give up.

Even so, he was starting to wish they weren’t doing this. Not because he didn’t want to hang out with Marinette/Ladybug, but because she was Ladybug  _ and _ Marinette and that’d just about broken him.

After some fiddling around, she got the sound set up, and turned around to settle into the pile of blankets. She pulled a blanket up over herself, then offered a corner to Adrien.

It wasn’t like he could say no--they cuddled all the time as Ladybug and Chat, surely a pesky little identity reveal wouldn’t stop them. So he took the corner and pulled it towards himself, not noticing how she was keeping some distance between them, or the blush threatening to set fire to her cheeks.

As the movie started, Ladybug leaned into him. Slowly at first, as she got more comfortable in their nest, until his hand wrapped around her waist and her hair tickled his nose. Adrien couldn’t help smiling, because here was his proof: When they were just a little more tired than normal, just a little distracted, when they managed to ignore any awkwardness… they gravitated to each other.


	25. Pining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some post-reveal fluff that could very well be a sequel to the last chapter.

Marinette sighed, pacing back and forth in the alley. Adrien would be here any second, and she needed to be ready. Because no way in hell was she giving up her chance now--she was confessing to him tonight, and that would be that.

Chat Noir landed silently behind her, and she spun around to face him.

“My lady,” he said, a teasing smile pulling at his lips.

Marinette closed her eyes, refusing to let his flirting fluster her. In her purse, Tikki gave her leg an encouraging nudge.  _ She could do this. _

“Plagg, cla--”

“No!” Marinette shouted, her arm snapping forward to slam her hand over his mouth. Wincing, she retracted her hand. “Sorry, I meant, please stay transformed?”

“O--Okay…”

She groaned, resuming her pacing. Why did this have to be so hard for her? Just spit it out already!

Even when it was Chat Noir she was looking at and not Adrien Agreste, she still felt anxious. She’d been surprised, after the reveal, that she’d managed to keep her dynamic with Chat. Now, all that chill-ness seemed to be abandoning her. Maybe if she…

“Tikki, spots on,” she mumbled. 

Adrien, more confused than before, stared at her awkwardly.

Marinette took a deep breath. This was it. She needed to stop pining over him and actually do something for a change. She spun around to face him. “Adrien.”

He nodded, still confused.

“I like you. And it’s terribly messy now, because it used to be Chat Noir and Adrien, but now I know you’re really only one person, and I don’t know how much of me likes Chat or Adrien or if that even matters, but what I do know is that I like you.” 

She may as well start digging her own grave, as the seconds ticked by without a response, her blush somehow becoming stronger.

“Marinette…” Adrien trailed off, lost for words. “Ladybug, I-- Wow.”

“Wow?” she repeated, surprised by the giggle rising in her voice.

“I mean, you’re--” His hand reached for hers, his claws grazing her knuckles.

Marinette couldn’t help her grin.  _ She’d actually managed to render Chat Noir speechless. _

He turned her hand over, rubbing circles in her palm. “Wow.”


	26. Sacrifices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pre-reveal and relationship.

Marinette didn’t know what made Chat cry. She did know that he didn’t cry as a civilian, and she did know that she would always find him and comfort him.

His head rests in her lap, her hand splayed across his back. As much as she wants to, she can’t solve everyone’s problems--so the least she can do is be there for Chat. The city is a foggy landscape around them; they’re hidden by the mist, unseen by passersby.

“You’ll never believe what happened to me today,” she mumbled. “Tikki dropped a cookie on my dad. Have you ever tried to explain why a cookie fell out of the sky?”

Chat sat up, blinking at her. “No, I haven’t.”

“I think I ended up saying I thought it was akuma. Which was obviously not true.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

After a moment, Chat broke into a grin. And the realization hits Marinette like a train: she would sacrifice  _ anything _ to see that smile again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Before you go, I have a new multichap I'm super excited about. [The Bug and Chat Show](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25509940/chapters/61889215) features the heroes starting a video series on the Ladyblog, shenanigans, and plenty of post-reveal Adrinette and Ladynoir.


	27. Embrace

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Post-reveal, post-Hawkmoth defeat... it's ladynoir because I say it's ladynoir?

Adrien rolled over, pulling the blankets tighter around him. Beneath him, the thin mattress moved as well. He sighed, staring across the room at the pictures on the walls: Marinette with her parents, Marinette behind the bakery counter, Marinette with a chocolate cake smeared across her face.

The shutters didn’t match perfectly on the windows, a stray line of Parisian light cast onto the floor. Adrien found himself watching it, as though the streetlamps outside would move and change the place of the light.

Really, after everything that he had happened, he should have fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. And he was tired. He was so, so tired. Finding out his dad was Hawkmoth and defeating him all in one day? Yeah, that was hard. His gaze drifted back to the photos. It had been two days that he'd known, but it felt like forever. Marinette had always been Ladybug.

Marinette had always been his Everyday Ladybug, but now that he knew that title wasn’t accurate, he was seriously considering giving it to her parents. They knew, but they hadn’t acknowledged that he was a superhero with a villain for a parent. They’d simply hugged Marinette, left food on the counter for their kwamis, and offered him a place to sleep.

Not that he was doing much sleeping.

The stairs behind him squeaked, and he turned to find Marinette standing there.

“I had to make sure you were okay,” she whispered.

Adrien took in a breath. He couldn’t say he was okay and be telling the truth, so he didn’t say anything. Almost without him realizing it, his arms stretched out of the covers and over to Marinette, the blankets lifting to make a place for her on the mattress. She hesitated for a moment, then stepped down the last stair.

And then Marinette was curling against him, her bare shoulder touching his chin, her hair (out of its pigtails, still damp from a shower) brushing his nose. She smelled like vanilla and flowers. Cautiously, Adrien draped an arm over her waist. She grabbed his hand, pulling him closer to her. He could feel his tiredness winning; in the comfort of Ladybug’s embrace his thoughts had no bearing.

She must’ve thought he was already asleep, because her hands tightened around his, lifting it up to her lips for a gentle kiss. “I love you, minou,” she whispered.


	28. Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-Miracle Queen

When Adrien found Ladybug, she was sitting on the edge of a roof, staring over the city.  _ Their _ city, in a way.

He sat next to her silently, waiting to see if she would talk. A few minutes later, he decided to take matters into his own claws. “Are you okay?”

Ladybug shrugged. “I’m the guardian. I-- I can't  _ be _ the guardian.”

“Yes, you can. You’re amazing, my lady, and anything you need me to do--”

“You don’t understand, being a hero is hard enough, how can I?” Her voice was muffled as she found her way into his arms, her face buried in his chest.

He held her as she cried, rubbing circles on her back and whispering in her ear. He knew it wasn’t fair, that Hawkmoth had taken so much from them and every other citizen in Paris. But at least they had each other.

“Chat?” she said, lifting her head when the tears had stopped.

“Hmm?” He wanted so badly to wipe away the dried tears on her mask, on her cheeks, but he stopped himself.

“When I first got my miraculous, I tried to give it up. I realized I’d forgotten to purify the akuma, and I tried to give away the earrings… It didn’t work, and I’m glad. But I do wonder what would have happened, and now, if Master Fu would have been attacked. I’m not the best hero, and I don’t know if I can be a guardian.”

“Ladybug, I believe that you can do anything you set your mind to.” He had his arm around her, holding most of her weight as she leaned into his touch. “And I’ll always be ready to help you when you need it, cause yeah, that is a lot for one person.”

She stayed still for a moment, before pushing herself up to her feet. “Thanks a lot, Chat. I… You’re my best friend.”

Adrien stood as well, pulling his baton off his back. “You’re my best friend too, my lady.”

And it could’ve just been a trick of the light, but her lips seemed to turn up at the nickname.


	29. Against

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> post-reveal, established relationship, post hawkmoth defeat vigilantism! Yay!

The sun hit Ladybug’s shoulders, red light bouncing onto Chat as he lay beside her. The leaves above him provided just enough shade. Marinette’s eyes were closed, a peaceful look on her face.

If you’d asked either of them what would bring them peace a year ago, they wouldn’t have answered this. But after the fight with Hawkmoth--Gabriel--Adrien needed to get out of Paris, and Marinette needed a break. Ten months travelling the world, fighting villains both super and ordinary, miraculous and hellish, they were closer than ever.

Technically, it was vigilantism, Adrien knew that. But even in Paris, they’d never been legally connected to the police or government. They weren’t hurting anyone, and their presence was always a pleasant surprise to those they met.

Supposedly, there was an ongoing ‘where are the heroes’ hunt on social media, but Adrien wouldn’t know about that--He lost his phone somewhere in Sweden.

Marinette sighed, rolling onto her side to face him. “Let’s get married.”

“What? Like, go back to Paris?”

“No, like here.” She waved an arm through the air. “Now.”

“Now?”

“What’s stopping us?” She stood, offering a hand.

“Nothing,” he answered easily, grabbing her hand and standing.

“Then, let’s get married.” She pulled him for a kiss, letting her touch linger. “It’s you and me against the world, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Adrien echoed, “you and me against the world.”


	30. Rooftop Dates

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aged up quite a lot, established relationship, post-reveal

Marinette’s keys clattered as she dropped them on the counter, coming home to a strangely quiet apartment. She looked around. It was definitely hers--Adrien’s mug was by the sink, and an array of books and sport equipment was left in the living room.

“Adrien?” she asked. “Hello?”

With no response, she set down her bag and hung up her coat. She stepped into the kitchen, spotting a note taped to the counter. She picked it up, furrowing her brow in confusion, then smiling.

_Meet me on the roof_ _  
_ _-CN_

She traced his initials, her cue to transform before finding him. And then turned out of her apartment, grabbing her keys and relocking the door.

Her footsteps echoed up the two stories in the stairwell. She paused at the top, the roof door left ajar. No one was behind her.

“Tikki, spots on.”

Chat was waiting for her, barely visible against the night sky. He sat in the middle of a picnic blanket, a flower in hand.

“My lady,” he whispered, handing her the gift as she sat beside him.

“What’s all this for, _minou_?”

“I thought you could use a date night.” Adrien wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“You thought right.”

He pushed his head down, jostling the pigtails she only wore as Ladybug, pressing sweet kisses to the back of her neck. She sighed, her skin tingling where he touched.

“Hey, Adrien?”

“Hm?”

“Where are our children?”

Groaning, he pulled his lips off her neck. “At various sleepovers.”

“Good.” Marinette twisted around, their lips colliding with more force than she’d intended, not that either of them were complaining.


	31. Home

“I have to go home,” Adrien mumbled, pulling his arm out from under Marinette.

“Nooo,” she moaned, tightening her grip around his shoulders. They were cuddling on a roof, Paris aglow in the night around them, and it was late and Adrien--both of them, really--needed to go home.

“I do, though.”

“Stay.”

It was tempting. She was warm and soft and smelled like vanilla and bread, and staying would be a hundred times better than leaving, but he had things to do tomorrow.

Marinette breathed in, threading her fingers through his hair. “That’s not even a home, Adrien. You know that, right?”

Adrien smiled. When she was tired, or he was upset, this seemed to be his girlfriend’s go-to rant/comfort. He knew what she meant, of course, and he loved her for it. He loved how she was always ready to come to his defense, and remind him that she loved him.

“I know,” he whispered. “But I have to go back… to my house, okay?”

“Mmm… I’ll visit.”

“Mari, it’s late. We both need to go to sleep. And rooftops aren’t the best places for that.”

She turned up her head, nudging kisses onto his jaw. “But you’re so warm. And this is comfy, and you smell good, and I love you, and”--she trailed her kisses up, pressing one onto his lips--“you feel like home.”

How was Sleepy Marinette so damn smooth? Her kisses continued up to his ear, and Adrien didn’t want to leave for fear of breaking her heart, even if it was only temporary, sleep-deprived heartbreak.

It took all his self-control to pry himself out of her arms and stand, Marinette near  _ whimpering _ at the loss of warmth.

“I’m sorry, my lady. But I’ll see you tomorrow. I love you.”

She stood up, too, fumbling for her yoyo. “I love you too.”

About a block away, Adrien stopped and turned back. Marinette was just launching her yoyo, wonderfully backlit by the Eiffel Tower. Her hair blew back in the breeze, her figure still for a perfect moment before she jumped. Every word she’d said was true, and then some. She felt like home, more than anything he’d ever known.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's a wrap on Ladynoir July!


End file.
